The Wild Race
by Academia Cicero
Summary: When Rev meets someone who may be even faster than him, the race of a lifetime begins. But when danger threatens the two, the Loonatics must find a way to protect them, even if it means using an old method for catching roadrunners.
1. A Restless Roadrunner

_Even though people have made comment after comment about how Loonatics Unleashed is NOT meant to be the original Looney Tunes (which I think we can all agree it isn't), there are a few aspects that I think could still be alluded to in LU. While re-watching the classic Coyote/Roadrunner cartoons (Chuck Jones was a genius by the way), I though of this idea that kept making me think about how deeply the Looney Tunes are imbedded into our pop culture. Hopefully fans of both sides of the LU debate will enjoy this episode, which takes place soon after the series finale events of "In search of Tweetums". And if not, well at least it'll give me an exercise in accepting criticism as a writer._

_Loonatics Unleashed __is owned by __Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. The characters in this story are fictional, no matter what some people may think. Any similarities to any real animals or people living, once living, dead, or undead for that matter is purely coincidental, unintentional, and probably a sign that the world has gone crazy._

_--_

_**Chapter 1: A Restless Roadrunner**_

"…And so with a few modifications of my own personal design, I managed to repair the wormhole generator and have it up and running again. As you can see, the overall design has been updated to include easy access for both vehicles and pedestrians, as well as to reduce the amount of energy needed for functioning by…"

"Yeah, yeah, that's all well and boring, but I've got other things to do Mr. Techno Geek", interrupted Duck rudely, causing Tech to sneer back at him and for Rev to cross his arms sternly. The three were standing on the platform to Planet Blanc's wormhole generator, which apparently left no ounce of interest in the egotistical duck.

"You-said-you-wanted-a-tour-of-the-planet-didn't-you-so-unless-you-can-travel-the-whole-length-of-Blanc-in-a-matter-of-seconds-like-some-unmentioned-and-slightly-upset-roadrunner-I-suggest-you-find-other-ways-to-make-yourself-useful-like-say-maybe-helping-to repair-the-royal-Tweetum's-palace-which-you failed-to defend-the-last time-or-even…" Rev rambled on before Tech managed to grab his beak shut, apparently gaining a headache from trying to keep pace with Rev's speech, which seemed even quicker than normal today.

But he did agree that Rev had a point. "Like Rev said, if you don't like the generator, then you can just head back to the royal palace and help finish with the repairs". As noted by the tone of Tech's voice to Duck, he wasn't very fond of wasting any more of his time with someone who was less than interested in his work. He was especially proud of the repairs he had made to the generator (having only recently studied about the subject of wormhole technology), and felt that it was worth at least some form of credit.

"Are you kidding? Go back and just waste all this talent by building some silly bird cage? The only thing that could be worse is having to spend another night singing silly lullabies to that insomniac yellow fluff ball". It had only been a week since relocating to the new planet, and yet Duck had seemed to have had it with being a knight to Planet Blanc's Royal Tweetums. "Next time I get offered the chance to be a knight of any kind, just talk me out of it".

But Tech had stopped listening, and went back to work on the generator. "Look, if you're not going to be of any help, why not check on the new Headquarters to see how the rest of the universe is doing", Tech said as he made small adjustments to the large structure, which he was careful not to mess up. The last thing they needed was for the whole planet to blow up like some of his inventions did.

Ignoring Tech's advice, Duck just turned to his reflection in the gleaming generator, observing his dramatic pose in his usual black and orange uniform and humming what sounded like his own theme music to himself.

While Tech continued to adjust the generator, Rev zipped back and forth around the platform, looking at the surrounding sphere of octagon shaped wormhole passages. He jumped impatiently from one spot to the next in a seemingly restless fashion, causing an irritating gust of wind to trail behind him and blow around the entire platform. Taking notice, Tech tried to get his attention while still making a few mental calculations for the generator.

"Hey Rev, are you doing alright?" he called with a concerned tone. The coyote had noticed that the roadrunner had been slightly more restless than normal all day, and was a bit shocked at how he had just snapped at Duck a minute ago. Though it wasn't as if the mallard didn't deserve an occasional lecture, it didn't seem normal for Rev to be the one to talk to anyone that way.

Rev turned away from looking at the surrounding octagonal passages to respond to Tech. "Oh-sure-never-felt-better-I-mean-have-you-seen-the-whole-planet-yet-it's-really-quite-different-than-Acmetropolis-which-is-expected-since-Acmetropolis-is-a-city-planet-wheras-Blanc-is-definitely-more-pastoral-and-about-half-the-size-of-our-old-home-planet-which-isn't-to-say-that-I-mind-the-smaller-area-or-anything-I-just-thought-I'd-mention-it-in-case-you-haven't-gotten-to-see-more-of-the-planet-besides-the-generator-since-you've-spent-most-of-the past-w…"

"REV! For the last time, not using your entire vocabulary in every sentence is perfectly acceptable", Tech stated sternly. He had a hard enough time working on the wormhole technology, which was giving even him a challenge to understand, but it was almost impossible to do while Rev ranted on. "Maybe you could both check back with HQ, I think I'd work better if I had less distractions around", he said politely, indicating mostly to Duck as he continued to hum his little tune even louder than before.

Taking the hint, the two comrades decided it would be best to be somewhere else for now. "Duly noted, Danger Duck departs for dangerous da… um, dangerous destinations of de… dangerous destinations of du… oh what the heck. I'm out of here", the mallard said as he disappeared in a flash of light. The last thing he saw before quacking out was Tech, laughing to himself, apparently very amused with Duck's failed attempt at heroic alliteration.

"Well-see-ya-Tech-sorry-for-being-a-distraction-I-guess-this-is-pretty-hard-science-even-for-a-genius-like-yourself-so-it's-probably-best-to-find-something-else-to-do-which-only-seems-appropriate-since-I-wasn't-really-doing-anything-anyways-and…-OK-then-bye!" Rev ranted quickly as Tech gave him another irritated glance that sent him rushing back through the bridge that lead to the outer layer of Wormhole Central. Lifting off of the yellow space rings that surrounded the blue sphere as his eyes glowed a bright crimson red, he gave off a flaming stream of fire as he flew as fast as he could back to the outer layer of Blanc.

Though his speed allowed him to cover the distance from Wormhole Central to HQ in about a second, he still got a great view of the planet below him. Flying from the middle of the planet through the large gaps that gave the planet it's unique shape, Rev saw the miles of natural landscape that made up their new home. Through the canyons and rocky cliffs shone the natural afternoon light from the planet, which reminded him a bit of his family's home in the desert of Acmetropolis. From his overhead view, Rev couldn't help but sigh at the much smaller size of the planet and how much less space made up it's surface.

_It's just not the same_, he thought to himself silently.

In no time at all, he approached the Loonatic's new HQ building, located at the northern point of the new planet. Instead of the large tower that housed their last HQ, the group had decided to build a larger yet more ground-based design that was also much more extravagant. From above, Rev could see the different sections that had been divided by designated function, such as luxury, training, and communication for example.

Eyeing the highest point at the top of the structure, Rev reduced his speed as he sailed down a vertical tunnel into the new HQ, slowing to a stop just before he reached the ground that lead to their main station of communication.

"… with da monitors readjusted to allow for full access, we should be able ta be reached by anyone in need of assistance" came the sound of a familiar accent as Rev landed safely in their new Headquarters. Sure enough, Ace was standing in front of the newly installed screens that took up a large side of the room that they were standing in. Next to him was Lexi, who was apparently very interested in seeing how their new HQ operated. Although Rev couldn't help but wonder if she was actually more interested in Ace instead.

The two turned at once though when they heard Rev land nearby, apparently glad to see that the roadrunner was able to use the sky entrance that he had just entered through. Instantly after he landed, there came a flash of bright light from a few feet away, followed by the familiar sight of Danger Duck.

"Awww c'mon! How is it that you could possibly get here faster than I did?! I even quacked out **before** you managed to get your stupid legs moving!" Duck ranted on while the other three just laughed at how Duck had been outshone in something, again.

"Ah, never mind dat Duck. Rev can't help it if he's the fastest boid in the universe", Ace cut in as he walked away from the monitors, "he'd probably give light itself a run for it's money, literally". Duck just walked away to find something else to do, muttering something crossly under his breath.

"That's some fast flying you must have done Rev", Lexi commented as the three walked through the new communication station. Even though Rev had been the second in command to help build it (behind Tech of course), he still liked to look it over to see how well he and Tech had built it. "Thanks-Lexi-but-I'm-just-your-averge-super-powered-roadrunner", he responded humbly, apparently not too interested in his quickness for the moment.

Continuing to walk along the large hall that was clicking and beeping with constantly active computer monitors, Lexi stared curiously at Rev. He didn't seem as energetic as she thought he would be, especially after they had just finished work on their new HQ. Watching the roadrunner walk next to her and Ace, he seemed almost restless instead.

She wanted to say something, out of concern for her teammate. After all, weren't they there to look out for one another? But she couldn't figure out if something was actually wrong with Rev, or if she was just misinterpreting his attitude and didn't need to say anything at all. Then again, it shouldn't hurt just to ask, right?

But before Lexi could say anything, her highly sensitive ears heard the familiar sound of an argument erupting from the kitchen, which was several rooms away. Sure enough, a moment later the door to the communications station opened as Slam entered, followed by an irritated looking Duck.

"Honestly Slam. We go out of our way to build the best kitchen on this side of the galaxy, and you've already managed to eat every scrap of food that could fit inside! All I wanted was a measly little peanut butter sandwich. Just one sandwich! Is that too much to ask for?" Duck ranted to the Tasmanian Devil. Judging by the muttering of Slam's jargon, he was finding the situation rather funny, irritating the duck even more.

"I can see dat you two have been gettin' along just fine", commented Ace jokingly. All Duck could do was stare crossly at his team leader, remaining completely silent so as not to say anything else that would make him look more humiliated. Staying silent, he simply walked away to find something else to do.

Soon afterwards, there came a ringing sound from a nearby elevator, followed by a greenish glow coming from the inside of the elevator doors. Once the glow had opened the doors, the gang saw Tech inside, using his magnetic powers to move the elevator, which apparently hadn't been fully finished yet.

"I knew there was something I forgot to do", the coyote responded as he stepped out of the elevator and his glowing eyes returned back to normal. "I've just finished the last calibrations on the wormhole generator, and after finishing the damages from Ace's battle with Deuce, it's all set to offer a passage to anywhere in the universe at any time".

"Great woik Tech", Ace complemented, glad to see the level of progress the team had made in just one week, "looks like the Loonatics are fully operational". It pleased everyone to hear this, and even Rev couldn't help but smile with the rest of the team at knowing just how important their position was to the universe.

"Hey-how-about-we-throw-a-little-party-since-we're-finally-finished-with-the-headquarters-except-of-course-for-that-elevator-leading-to-wormhole-central-which-I'm-sure-Tech-can-fix-in-no-time-at-all-so-I-guess-we-could-say-we're-99.99-finished-which-is-pretty-good-progress-in-such-a-short-time…"continued Rev until he saw the look of annoyance on everyone's faces and decided to drop the sentence at that point.

Tech just replied with a yawn. "Sounds like fun Rev, but I think I'm going to retire for the night. You know, been busy all week". With the lights in the sky growing darker outside, the others nodded in agreement and decided to call it good for the day. "Maybe tomorrow Rev", Ace responded as he headed toward the leisure section of the HQ, most likely for some peaceful meditation before bed.

But before anyone could get out the door, there came a distinct beeping sound from one of the monitors. Unsure of what was going on, the group headed over to the beeping monitor to see what the commotion was about. Stepping up to the keyboard, Tech typed through a series of commands, which caused the beeping to stop as the monitor brightly lit up.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION flashed the words on the screen, accompanied by a womanized computer voice coming from the monitor.

"State origin", Tech commanded to the screen. The gang was a bit anxious about who was trying to get a hold of them so soon after relocating to Blanc, and waited as the command went through the monitor.

While waiting, Duck quacked into the room, landing between Ace and Lexi rather rudely. "What's the big deal around here? I was just getting ready for my beauty sleep", Duck stated, looking around at the annoyed look of his teammates.

"If you really want to know", Lexi answered, "we're getting a transmission from someone whose trying to contact us, maybe even someone who needs our help". The rabbit gave a sneer to Duck as she said this, and Duck decided to just be quiet as he stared at the screen with the others.

"The response is coming through", stated Tech. Sure enough, the words flashed across the screen again, accompanied by the computerized voice.

SOURCE OF TRANSMISSION: PLANET SCHLESINGER

--

A good tip on keeping people interested is to use the age old device of a cliffhanger. If you hate me for using it on the very first chapter, please let me know in a review. If you have some other words to say about the story, please let me know in a review. If you are reading these words on a computer screen, please leave a review. If you are sick of reading about how much I'd like people to leave a review, please leave a review.


	2. An Invitation

For readers who may not know what "Schlesinger" has to do with anything, it's kind of important to know for this chapter. Leon Schlesinger was the original producer of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melody cartoons when they were starting out in the early years, and thus had a rather important contribution to this legendary cartoon (to some extent). After seeing his guest appearance in the short "You Ought to Be in Pictures" (which I recommend looking up if you haven't already seen it), I decided to use his name and personality in this story. Of course it makes more sense if you're more familiar with the history of the Looney Tunes, but hopefully people who don't get the inside references will like this story as much as those who do get it. I personally like the allusions and think it adds a bit more depth to the story.

Loonatics Unleashed and all related characters are owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. "Leon Schlesinger" is dead, and thus is owned by the afterlife for the time being. _**Wormhole Technology **_is patented to Planet Blanc, with a shared credit to Tech E. Coyote, so don't go using a wormhole generator without first consulting both of them. Any attempts to do so will result in consequences too terrible to put in print, so take my advice and don't even try it.

--

_**Chapter 2: An Invitation**_

"Receive transmission", Tech responded upon reading the source of the communication. Judging by the steady tone in Tech's voice, the others guessed that he was familiar with the planet that had just appeared on the screen, even though none of them had even heard of it before.

Instantly, the writing on the screen was replaced by a middle aged man with fine lensed glasses seated at a desk in front of them. The group was rather amused by his simple attire, which consisted of a very basic white tuxedo and a black and white tie with his hair slicked back out of his face, giving him a certain business appeal.

He cleared his throat before speaking through the transmission. "Good evening Loonatics. May I just say that it is indeed an honor to speak to you all. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ricardo Precudor, president of the planet Schlesinger".

Unsure of how to respond, the team just smiled quietly for a second before Ace stepped up to the screen next to Tech. "Well ah, it's an honor to speak to you as well Mr. Precudor. What can we do for ya sir?" he asked casually.

"Actually Mr. Ace, I'm here to offer up an opportunity to you. Word of your heroics on the city-planet of Acmetropolis has been traveling across the galaxy lately, and I must say that I've been very impressed with your success as a team", Mr. Precudor responded. "As such, I have an invitation for you to welcome you to your newly acquired position within the universe".

Hearing this made each member of the team very excited. Instead of hearing about a planet in trouble that needed saving, they were earning praise for their accomplishments, which was much more enjoyable to hear. To them, it was a nice change in pace compared to the hectic events of the last few weeks, and caused them to listen more attentively.

"Being new to the universe", continued Mr. Precudor, "I don't believe that you've been informed of the significance of the events happening on Schlesinger. You see, our planet is the host of many cultural celebrations throughout the year, due to the diversity of inhabitants that populate Schlesinger".

"Sounds like a regular cultural party", Lexi commented, apparently intrigued by Precudor's description of the planet. "It surly is Miss Lexi, which is why I want to invite you all to our greatest celebration yet; the Universal Festival", Precudor replied, seeming very honored to being able to invite the Loonatics.

Upon hearing this, Duck stepped forward in front of Ace, slightly pushing him out of the way. "Well it sounds very interesting Mr. Produce sir, but why should we, the greatest team of heroes in the universe, attend your little festival", he asked very selfishly before Ace grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him away from the screen.

But Precudor just chuckled in good humor. "I'm actually glad you asked Danger Duck. To answer your question, the Universal Fair is a rare event held once every few hundred years. People from all over the galaxy gather for the day to partake in different competitions and to get better acquainted with the different nationalities of the universe. To have the guardians of the universe themselves attend would be an excellent opportunity for the festival, and I can honestly say that it'll be well worth your time".

Ace turned to the group behind him. "Well gang, what do ya say?" Instantly, the other members of the team replied with an excited series of 'yes'. "This would be an excellent opportunity to try out the wormhole generator for convenient travel", added Tech excitedly, seeming more than pleased to have a chance to try out his latest scientific task.

Ace stepped up again. "Well den Mr. Precudor, I think we can safely say yes to yar generous invitation. You can expect ta see da Loonatics at your Universal Festival".

"Excellent, it is really a privilege to have you as attendants. The festival begins in two days, and I would be glad to personally greet you at the start of the celebration", Mr. Precudor replied, smiling with a great look of gratitude "if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask".

Duck tried to get in front of the screen again, but Tech just held him back before he could ask whatever it was that he wanted to say. Knowing Duck, it wasn't an important question anyways. "Nope, I think we're all set. Well meet you on Schlesinger in 2 days", Ace responded to Mr. Precudor.

"Very well", Mr. Precudor said, "then I look forward to seeing you at the start of the festival. Again, thank-you for accepting this invitation, and many hopes that your stay on Schlesinger be an enjoyable one". With these words, the image on the screen disappeared and left a blank screen in front of the now very excited group of heroes.

"Well, I'd say it's about time we started getting a bit of recognition", Duck stated boldly after getting out of Tech's grasp. But instead of the usual looks of scorn that he was used to, he saw that the others, to a less selfish degree, were pleased as well.

"It really is a great opportunity to get better associated with the universe", Lexi said, "and I think it's pretty cool that we were invited personally to attend". Ace nodded in agreement. "We'd betta check with da Royal Tweetums ta make sure that we can use da royal scepter to activate da wormhole generator", he replied.

Hearing this suddenly caused Duck to yawn loudly. "Uh yeah, that sounds like a great idea, but what do you say we do it in the morning. All this talk of festivals and wormholes has got this duck worn out. If I'm not up by lunch, go ahead and ask the bird without me", he said sleepily as he made his way out of the communication room before anyone could say anything.

"The duck may have a point. Whadda ya say we get some rest and talk dis over in da morning'?" Ace suggested, to which the others responded by making their way out of the room. Slam made his way out first, seeming very excited about the festival, followed by Rev. Though Rev seemed pleased about the festival as well, he was making a slow and lazy walk out the door that didn't seem to allow for a lot of excitement. Taking note of Rev's unusual pace, as apposed to his usual dash of speed, Lexi couldn't help but wonder what was going on with the roadrunner.

"I wonder what's up with Rev?" she asked herself silently, not expecting to be overheard. But Ace and Tech were still within earshot, and couldn't help but ask what she had just said. "Something on your mind Lex?" Ace asked, trying to be considerate about his fellow teammates.

"Well, yeah actually there is", she responded, "there's something about Rev that just doesn't seem like himself lately". Both Ace and Tech looked at each other, both concerned about what Lexi was saying.

"You know, there was something about him earlier at Wormhole Central," Tech responded with his arms crossed over his chest, "he kept running around the platform for no reason and didn't look like he was in a regular state of mind. I guess you could say he was kind of restless".

Ace raised an eyebrow. "And when he got to HQ just a few moments ago, he seemed kinda depressed", he said with a concerned tone. "Exactly", Lexi replied, "I don't know why, but he just seemed really down, like he isn't liking it here on Blanc".

"I wonder", Ace thought out loud, "if he's having a hard time getting used to Blanc's smaller size compared to Acmetropolis? I mean, Blanc is only about a thurd the size of Acmetropolis, isn't it?"

"To be more precise, Blanc's surface area is approximately 1/4.7245th the size of Acmetropolis, due to the unique structure of the planet in addition to it's diminutive diameter", Tech clarified, much to the confused faces of his fellow teammates. "So yeah, it's got less space", he said to clarify in simpler terms.

"So for a roadrunner with a need for running distance, how do ya think he feels when he's got nowhere to run?" Ace asked, feeling more concerned now that they had an idea of what was bothering Rev. "I guess it isn't easy for him to get used to", responded Lexi accordingly.

Before anyone could reply though, Tech found himself trying to fight a yawn, but failed to do so. "Maybe we could talk about this in the morning, I'm really tired", the coyote said tiredly, to which his two teammates seemed to agree. Making their way out of the communications room, the three walked away to their own individual bedrooms. Before going to sleep though, Ace took a spot on his floor and had himself a peaceful minute of meditation time. Knowing that one of his teammates was feeling down, he had a harder time than normal finding a state of comforting peace.

Two days later, the gang was using their jet packs to make their way to the yellow space rings that surrounded wormhole central. Tech had yet to finish the elevator that went straight from HQ to the generator, which forced them to take a little longer. Though no one really minded much, Duck was quite obviously upset when they landed, and not about the defunct elevator either.

"This is ridiculous! I can't believe it! It's an outrage! A disgrace! It's completely despicable!" shouted Danger as they made their way to Wormhole Central. The other five Loonatics didn't seem to take much notice though as they walked through the transparent blue bridge that connected from the space rings to the platform.

"Duck, for the last time", responded Tech to his temperamental teammate, "we can't all go to the festival at once. If something were to happen and we were needed, how would we get there unless some of us stayed behind at HQ". Even though Tech was also staying behind while Ace, Lexi, Slam, and Rev went to the festival, Duck seemed more concerned about the fact that he himself wasn't going.

"Besides Duck", Ace chimed in, "you do have your responsibilities to the royal Tweetums. It won't look good for ya if a royal knight doesn't even show up on the day he's requested to come in".

Duck just mumbled under his breath, obviously not very pleased with having to miss out on the biggest event in the universe to suffer the company of the pint size ruler. He stopped his muttering only when they got to the platform, where Tweetums was already waiting for them with the royal scepter in his hands.

"Just try to look happy, would you Duck?" asked Lexi as they stepped onto the bridge, "and try not to mention the festival too much". Taking the hint, Danger forced a big smile as they neared Tweetums, quite obviously fake by how large he was stretching his bill.

"Oh goody, gwad to see you awl made it on time", Tweetums responded with his usual distinct voice. The gang stepped up next to the small ruler, who was standing on a small levitating platform that let him see eye to eye with the whole team. "Glad ta see ya too your royal highness", Ace responded, respectfully shaking the bird's hand with his finger.

"Thanks again for letting us use the scepter", added Lexi, "it really helps to get around the universe faster". "No pwobwem at awl, anyting to hewp my good fwiends to save the universe", Tweetums replied, clearly happy to be of assistance.

He then turned to Duck. "Oh Mr. Duck, I see dat you are not in your fuwl knight outfit", he said, causing Duck to continue fighting his urge to complain about not going along. "Very sorry, your royal highness", he said as politely as he could through a clenched beak, "I'll be sure to change my attire before escorting you back to the palace". Seeing Duck faking his 'best behavior' act caused everyone else to snigger under their breath.

"Gweat! That means that you can give me a tour of your fancy new headqwarters", Tweetums said happily, "I can't wait to get there". Under his sniggering, Tech stepped up to the yellow bird's platform to take care of the scepter in his feathered hands. "I'll meet up with you two in a minute", he said with a smirk to Duck (still obviously fighting a long list of things to shout about), "just as soon as I make sure everyone else gets through the wormhole safely".

With nothing more to say, Tweetums jumped into Duck's outstretched hand. "Have a gweat time Loonatics, wherever your off to", he said as he took a seat in the palm of Duck's hand. The rest of the team watched as Duck and Tweetums disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the five remaining Loonatics standing in front of the wormhole generator.

"Alright", Tech said as he approached the generator with the scepter, "if my adjustments are correct, placing the scepter into the generator should allow us to register a small wormhole that'll create a passage straight to planet Schlesinger". The team, though not doubting the coyote's genius, were still rather cautious about what the generator would do. With the royal jewel already placed inside the scepter, Tech carefully brought it up to the space where it was set to be placed. It instantly locked itself into the generator.

Immediately, the generator began to give off a loud whirling sound underneath their feet. The whole platform that they were standing on started to shake, and a strong light began to engulf the team until they couldn't even open their eyes.

Fortunately, the light disappeared after a few seconds, and the generator reduced to a soft and steady hum. Relieved that the generator was working alright, the team turned to Tech, who was busy entering a series of commands into a keyboard on the platform. They soon felt the platform turn itself to the left by a few degrees, then lift itself upward a few inches until they were completely level with one particular octagonal passageway.

The passageway began to glow a vibrant blue that shone on the Loonatics. A clear blue tunnel suddenly stretched from the passageway to the platform, giving them the path that they needed to get to the wormhole leading to Schlesinger. Seeing that they now had a clear path, the four of them that were leaving began to walk through the tunnel.

"Nice woik Tech. You've really outdone yourself dis time", Ace said as Slam and Lexi made their way through the tunnel that lead to the spinning mass that was the wormhole. Rev soon followed behind, no doubt impressed by witnessing the functioning of the generator, but still walking with a restless fashion that both Ace and Tech couldn't help but notice.

"I'm still a bit worried about Rev", Tech said as he read the readings of the generator's status, "are you sure he'll be OK chief?" Turning his head from the bridge to Tech, Ace gave a simple smile back to his teammate. "No worries, I think dis festival may be just what Rev needs ta get back ta his old self", Ace said confidently, "it'll give him a good chance ta enjoy the move from Acmetropolis better, even if there is less running space".

Hearing this, Tech stopped worrying. "Alright, have a good time. And don't worry about what's going on here. If anything goes wrong, I'll give you guys a call and send a wormhole to get you back as fast as possible", he said. With a final good-bye, Ace made his own way through the tunnel and prepared to walk through the wormhole.

Stepping closer to the swirling mass, Ace felt himself being tugged toward the hole as he got closer. He'd never traveled through a wormhole himself, but he'd seen the effects plenty of times before. Just a foot away from the entrance, the force tugging on him was so strong that he had to lean backwards to fight it. Taking one more step, he felt the full effects of being sucked through the hole, and zooming through the distances of space.

--

There's something else about Rev's restlessness that I thought of while writing this chapter. Excluding Lola (who wasn't introduced until 1996), the Road Runner was the only descendent of the team to not have been voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc, who is of course who Planet Blanc in named after. Consequently, it seems interesting that Road Runner's descendent would have trouble adjusting to a planet named after Blanc, unlike the others who all had him as their voice actor during the original cartoons. Again, this may only seem interesting to those who are familiar with the Looney Tunes history, and I personally enjoy including multi-dimensional meanings in my writing.

So please leave a review and tell me what you think. And if you don't, the guilt will gnaw away at you mercilessly until you say what you thought of this chapter. You won't be able to ride a bike, watch TV, eat, sleep, or anything until your guilt has been cleared. Save yourself the trouble and please leave a review.


	3. Planet Schlesinger

_Finally! That's the word for it. I've been working on this chapter piece by piece for months now, thinking that I'd never get to the point where I could post it up. I'm really really really ^ [infinity] thankful to everyone who left a review, even months after I posted the last chapter. To everyone who's been anxious about seeing this story continued, trust me, I've been even more anxious to write it myself. _

_So here it finally is, the chapter that took too long to finish, and which I hope is well worth the wait. And to all the uptight executives out there, __Loonatics Unleashed__ and all related characters, ideas, film negatives, audio, etc. are owned exclusively by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., unless they decide to sell said rights to someone else. I personally think that would be a foolish decision to make, so it seems doubtful to happen anytime in the near future…but then again, you never know._

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_**Chapter 3: Planet Schlesinger**_

Swirling matter surrounded the team as they were pulled through the distances of space by the wormhole. The pressure forced down on each of the team members, preventing any of them from moving at all. It was a strange sensation that felt like being sucked through a tunnel at a very fast speed, and all they could do was watch through squinted eyes at the surrounding mass as they traveled through the reaches of space.

But after only half a minute, which felt more like several hours, they felt the pressure lessen on them as a light appeared ahead. The grey matter around them began to swirl less quickly, and the full sensation of the wormhole became much less forceful. In a blur of light and pressure, the four Loonatics felt themselves finally land on solid ground, just as the wormhole above them disappeared from existence.

"You sure know how to make an entrance", came a familiar voice nearby as the team turned to see who it was. Sure enough, it was Mr. Precudor, standing in front of a podium with a pile of papers in front of him. Looking around, the team noticed that they had landed on a stage in front of a large crowd of empty chairs, apparently set up for later in the day. Mr. Precudor set aside the sheet of paper in his hand to properly greet the team.

"Welcome Loonatics, I can't tell you how honored I am to meet you all", the white suited man said as he shook hands with the four teammates. "Right back at ya doc", Ace replied with a firm handshake, making sure to leave a good impression in front of the president of the planet. "Yeah, glad we could make it", added Lexi, still a bit dizzy from the wormhole. "Raoiwh ahowi aoidhwo", Slam muttered in-understandably. Precudor shook hands with both Lexi and Slam, then turned to greet Rev.

"Pleasure to meet you in person Mr. Runner", he said as he offered a hand to Rev. The roadrunner shook his hand politely, but was more focused on the area around the podium that they were standing on. Noticing this, the other Loonatics turned their heads to get a look at the planet of Schlesinger.

Standing in awe, the team found themselves within the midst of a large city block, surrounded by numerous buildings and buzzing with energy. The podium upon which the group was standing was apparently located at the intersection of two main streets, blocked off for the moment by several safety signs. Overhead and all around them were cars and trucks traveling in the air along multileveled highways, passing so quickly that they could only be seen for a brief second.

Looking at the passing vehicles, the team also noticed the many skyscrapers lining the streets of Schlesinger. Instead of seeing the uniform style of buildings that existed on Acmetropolis, they were fascinated to find several different designs of architecture amongst the various buildings. Various heights and styles of structures lined the skyline, ranging from simple rectangular to more elaborate geometric shapes, seeming to be a blend of numerous cultures and races all within one large community, and stretching around the planet further than they could see.

In the surrounding streets, the group saw men and women working together to place decorations around the buildings, some reaching near the clouds in the sky far above. Watching the citizens of the city, the Loonatics noticed that several of them were turning to wave at the new arrivals, some even cheering for the flattered group of heroes.

"Wow-this-place-is-phenomenol-I-mean-sure-Acmetropolis-had-lots-of-buildings-and-such-but-man-this-place-is-just-so-much-more-eclectic-and-bustling-with-activity-then-our-old-planet-and-man-is-it-**huge**-and-boy-do-I-mean-**HUGE**-cause-guys-I'm-trying-to-view-the-whole-planet-with-my-internal-radar-and-I-can-barely-view-the-entire-planet-all-at-once-I-mean-it's-got-to-be-3-no-no-no-4-times-bigger-than-Acmetropolis-and-wow-is-this-some-planet-you've-got-here-Mr.-Precedor-it's-just-amazing-incredible-really-really-really-cool-to-be-here-sir-I-mean-wow!", Rev rambled faster than the team had ever heard him ramble before.

But Mr. Precudor, despite never hearing Rev speak before, seemed to fully understand every word he said. "Well it's an honor Mr. Runner to receive such a high compliment, especially from someone as accomplished as yourself", Precedor replied, a bit quicker than he was speaking before, much to the surprise of the other teammates. It was a pleasant change to meet someone who seemed to be accustomed to Rev's abnormal speech, and even more so that he was able to respond so easily.

Rev just smiled back at Mr. Precudor, shaking his hand faster as if to thank him even more for being invited. Seeing the road runner's speechlessness, Ace stepped up to break the silence. "So… what's the scoop sir? Looks like you guys are all set for this Universal Festival here, anyting we can do ta help?" he asked.

But before Precudor could respond, the sound of an approaching vehicle caught the team's ears. Looking above them, they noticed a black limousine, hovering in the sky above the podium, and lowering to the ground below. Once the impressive vehicle had landed steadily on the nearby ground, the door opened and allowed its passengers to walk toward the stage.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the guests of honor", said a young women, eyeing the four heroes as she stepped up to the podium. Unlike Precudor's business attire, she stuck out as a more care-free individual, speaking with a light air in her voice and looking much younger than the mayor did.

"Loonatics, may I present Miss Sasha Truluce, student body president of the cultural department and undergraduate at Schlesinger University", Precudor proclaimed, allowing the team to shake the young woman's hand respectfully. "Miss Truluce has been invited to help with the festival for her extraordinary work at the University", he continued, impressing the team and making Sasha blush slightly at the praise.

"It's great to meet the legendary Loonatics", Sasha said as she shook each of the teammates hands, "Acmetropolis has always been a favorite study of mine, considering it's unique history of both human and anthro kind". All four of the Loonatics felt very flattered by the young lady's compliment, feeling glad to have her joining them as guests for the festival. "Tanks, Miss Sasha, glad to have such a well accomplished resident with us here today", Ace replied politely as Sasha shook his hand.

"Yes, she's certainly deserved this position, hasn't she?" came another voice from the landed limo. The group turned to see an older gentleman, fitted in a navy blue suit with a black fedora hat on his head. Upon seeing this man, the team lost any trace of a smile and stood straight as he neared the podium. Everything about him, his look, voice, even how he walked, gave off a serious vibe that made him seem like a no-nonsense type of person. Compared to the others' more enjoyable nature, his seemed very upsetting.

"Very true Acregh", Precudor responded, not seeming affected by this man's disposition and how uptight he acted toward the group, "so may I also introduce Lieutenant Acregh, our most experienced and highly successful member of the galaxy's police force". Hearing this made Ace feel responsible for making proper introductions, and stretched out an open hand to the officer.

"It's an honor ta meet ya doc, glad ta meet a member of the law enforcement as well", Ace said respectfully, hoping to make a good impression and not offend anyone.

But Acregh didn't bother to shake his hand. He didn't even bother to step near the rabbit, or any members of the team. All he did was give Ace a look from underneath his black hat, making solid eye contact between the two. It wasn't a pleasant look at all. To Ace, who had seen forces of nature, dangerous enemies, and even the uncontrollable trying to destroy him in the past, had never seen something so chilling to look at. He quickly put his hand down while trying not to look at the cold fury in the man's eyes.

"I've heard a lot about you're work, Loonatics", Acregh said to the team, eyeing each member with the same cold fury in his eyes, "and must say that I'm…somewhat surprised. Is it true that you acquired advanced abilities from the effects of a meteor striking your planet?"

Everyone was now looking back at Acregh, drawn in by his attitude toward the Loonatics. It took a second for them to realize that he'd just asked a question, to which no one seemed eager to answer. Luckily, Lexi spoke up to avoid an awkward break in the conversation.

"Yep, long story really, but when it hit Acmetropolis, many residents were empowered by it's radiation, us included. Problem was, not everyone wanted these powers for good, which is why Zadavia called us…" she explained before Acregh held up a hand to cut her off.

"And you've been using these abilities, on your own agenda, to do everything in your power to help those in need?" he asked again, keeping a close eye on Lexi. It was hard to tell where he was taking the conversation, or even why he was so interested in the first place. But before Lexi could reply back, Precudor stepped up to Acregh, much to everyone's relief.

"Now Acregh, they'll be plenty of time to ask the team questions later. I asked you to come not to interview an accomplished group of crime fighters, much like yourself, but to have an enjoyable time of cultural gatherings", Precudor said calmly, easily relieving the tension that Acregh had created in the past minute.

"I'll say, when does de party start", came a slow small voice from somewhere below everyone. Looking around, the Loonatics, Mr. Precudor, Sasha, and Acregh turned down to see a small mouse in a yellow sombrero staring up at the crowd. He had a tired and droopy look on his face, and seemed to be half asleep. Reaching down, Precudor picked up the source of the voice so that he was level to the rest of the group.

"And finally, may I introduce you to Senor Jose Rodriquiez, cousin to a very special guest that is set to make an appearance here today. How was the trip Jose?" Precudor asked to the tired looking mouse, who had taken the liberty of sitting down instead of remaining standing.

"Oh, it was quite a safe trip Senor Precudor. But they ran out of queso in the 'frigerator. Now I'm hungry. When does the party start so we can eat?" Jose answered back in such a slow drawn out voice that was making everybody slightly impatient. In good spirit though, Ace stepped up to introduce himself and the team.

"Good ta meet ya Senor Rodriguiz. Name's Ace Bunny, team leader of the Loonatics", he said very cheerfully as he shook the small rodent's hand with his finger.

"Oh yes, I've heard of you Senor Bunny. Me and my cousin have been very anxious to meet the famous Loonatics", Jose responded, still as slow as before, but sounding a tad more interested in the superhero team. He then turned his head to Rev. "My cousin is especially eager to meet you, Senor Rev Runner. He says you must be a very interesting bird to see in person".

Rev smiled slightly. "Really-well-that's-very-nice-of-him-to-say-I-mean-it's-certainly-a-high-compliment-to-receive-especially-from-someone-I've-never-meet-before-and-I'm-sure-I'd-love-to-meet-your-cousin-too-but-then-again-I-have-no-reason-to-not-want-to-meet-him-so-I-wouldn't-know-for-sure-if-I'd-want-to-meet-your-cousin-or-not-until-I-actually-do-meet-him" the roadrunner rambled before he saw everyone staring at him, making him rap up his talking.

"By-the-way,-just-who-is-your-cousin?"

"Yeah, is he someone famous that we'll get to meet later?" Lexi asked to Jose, expressing everyone else's curiosity as to who this cousin was that Precudor claimed to be a special guest for the day.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you", Precudor exclaimed as he hit his forehead with his free hand. But before he could explain to the team, Sasha motioned toward the group of people that were arriving to take their seats in front of the stage, cutting him off from his attempted explaination. Groups of people, ranging in dress styles from suits and ties to less formal casual attires, started to fill the rows of seats, all seeing eager to hear Precudor speak and get started with the days events.

"Alright everybody, looks like its time to get this festival underway", Precudor said as he set Jose down on a seat on the stage. "Everybody go ahead and have a seat", he said motioning to the seats set up for the group, "and I'll give each of you a brief introduction to welcome everyone to the festival".

The four Loonatics sat down next to each other, with Sasha sitting between them and Jose, and Acregh sitting on the end of the seats. Out of the corner of his eye, Ace could still see the officer staring at the team, and only with coldness in his still gaze. Ace couldn't figure out why he was acting this way toward the Loonatics, but he hoped to find out before their visit was done.

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Intriguing enough? If anyone out there happens to share the names of the characters new to the story, I assure you, I mean no disrespect or undue credit. I actually have a unique way of creating last names for characters in my writing (see if you can figure it out), so it's not possible that I used a name of anyone I know already exists.

I expect that I can make progress into the more exciting part of the story now that I've hopefully gotten over my writer's block. But before I can, it's in the hands of you, the faithful commenting audience. For all that's good in this world, please tell me what you really think of the Loonatics' escapades. Be brutal. Be nice. Be indecisive. Just tell me what you really want to say. As any writer would know, getting feedback is very very very ^ [infinity + 1] important to getting better. Do your part and don't let the entire writing community down.


	4. Soaring Gonzalez

Summer vacation is a good thing. Sun, travel, and some way overdue relaxation. For me, it means finally having the time to get some writing done. Major thanks to **Yunno** and **ontheair** for giving me the extra motivation to actually finish this chapter, much appreciated.

_Copyright information_: Following its $7.4 billion purchase of Pixar, Disney began to get a bit more ambitious in acquiring new property. They were like "Hey, we've got more money than even exists, we can just buy whatever we don't have now". With that, as part of an elaborate 13-stage plan to possess the Looney Tunes, Loonatics Unleashed is currently owned by The Walt Disney Company. Musical number probably soon to follow.

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_**Chapter 4: Soaring Gonzalez**_

"…pleased to have this celebration here today. It's an honor to welcome everyone, to which I say to all, hola, salway tai, na-ho, *finger snap*, , and hello. Thank-you all, very much". With these closing words, Sasha finished her speech to the enormous mass of guests of Schlesinger, who quickly replied with a warm roar of applause.

Taking a much needed deep breath, the young lady quickly smiled to the appreciative crowd. Mr. Precudor approached her, firmly shaking her hand in great support, allowing her to take her seat with the rest of the group on the stage.

The small ensemble seated before the enormous crowd was simply enthralled by the energy present before them. The streets were now lined with inhabitants from countless different planets and species, all presenting their own unique way of cheering the festival. Lexi's hearing, though advanced as it was, could scarcely distinguish the variety of claps, applause, and shouts surrounding them. Nor the blends of music and instruments that saturated the planet's atmosphere, creating a very lively and infectious vigor in the air.

The chatter and commotion filled the air around the grandstand, reaching all the way from the crowd seated in front to the skyscrapers far above. The sun shone bright warmth on the large crowd, illuminating the streamers and confetti raining from the sky above, and gleaming on the traffic of flying vehicles throughout the atmosphere. Slam had to raise a hand to his eyes, trying to see the tops of the skyscrapers that disappeared into the hazy sky above.

Photographers and reporters from many different planets had lined the surrounding streets, all trying to get a good look at the start of the festival. Ace, with his enhanced vision allowing him to see all around, was able to see the different types of cameras, many of which looked very different from the ones back home. Instead of quick flashes of white light, a few of the cameras emitted a soft green glow, while others gave off rapid blue beeps.

But of all the members witnessing this testament to the universe's vastness, none were more flabbergasted than Rev. As not only a speedster, but an avid bird of science, he had a natural tendency to constantly explore the ways and limits of the world around him. Architecture, technology, biology, so much from the existence of the universe was present before him. To think, that there was so much more to learn about, none of which was available to him back on Acmetropolis, swarming around him now.

Perhaps it was just the sun or the camera lights, but a small tear came to the red roadrunner's eye.

"Par-don me, Senor Roadrunner, but you seem a tad irritated in the 'ol ojos," came the voice seated next to Rev. Snapping out of his small trance, Rev turned to Jose Rodriguez, sitting crossed legged with his arms behind his head, and looking up at the bird.

Slightly embarrassed, Rev quickly wiped the tear from his eye to give Rodriguez his full attention. "Sorry. I'm-just-really-exciting-right-now-cause-I've-never-been-anywhere-like-this-in-the-universe-which-kind-of-has-to-do-with-the-fact-that-we-just-recently-relocated-away-from-Acmetropolis-and-haven't-really-gotten-to-travel-around-the-galaxy-except-for-this-one-time-we-had-to-rescue-Duck-on-an-asteroid-but-I-guess-that-wouldn't-really-count-since…"

Right away, Rev stopped himself from rambling. Remembering how slowly Rodriguez spoke and walked, he felt like he was giving the mouse too much information to understand. And he didn't want to irritate anyone, especially since he was a guest on the planet.

"Sorry Mr. Jose," Rev stated, trying hard to mask his enthusiasm and slowing his speech, "I just tend to talk really fast, especially when I get excited". He was sure that by now, he had annoyed Rodriguez terribly.

"No trouble, but only Senor Precudor calls me Jose. Everyone calls me "Dawdle" Rodriguez," the small mouse slowly responded, causing Rev to smile in surprised appreciation, "and my cousin always talks very quickly, and we work very close together, so I got it figured out".

It caught Rev off-guard to have someone respond so easily to him. Having Mr. Precudor understand him when they arrived was already a pleasant experience, but Rodriquez seemed naturally too sluggish to keep up with the speedster. _I really wonder who this cousin is that everyone keeps mentioning?_ he thought to himself.

By this point, the crowd was beginning to disperse from the street intersections. There was a lot of chattering around the stage as numerous visitors made their way to different regions of the planet, sure to enjoy the festivities of the day. The other stage guests also stood up and began to talk amongst themselves. Growing more excited, and even more curious, Rev turned again to Rodriguez.

"Didn't-Mr.-Precudor-say-your-cousin-was-someone-really-really-important-cause-you-know-I've-always-thought-it'd-be-totally-sweet-sweet-sweet-to-meet-a-celebrity-especially-one-from-another-planet-and-if-you-say-he's-a-quick-talker-than-I-bet-he'd-be-really-easy-to-talk-to-"

"Well, I guess that would be alright," Rodriguez responded (slightly cutting off Rev's sentence), lifting himself up to stand on his chair, "I'd be happy to explain on the way".

The others were talking nearby. "…who are the dominant race on a small planet about three galaxies from here. The inhabitants have never actually named their planet, so out of respect, it's the only known planet that remains intentionally unnamed". Sasha was busy describing a few of the many species that had come to the festival to Slam and Lexi. Mr. Precudor and Ace were talking with a few reporters, while Acregh began to make his way away from the stage.

"We'll have to get to the southern region of the planet. The limousine should get us there in an hour," sighed Rodriguez, seeming a bit disappointed. Rev too felt sorry that they'd have to take so long, but didn't want to make anyone upset by seeming ungrateful.

It was then that Acregh passed by the two, sulking past the stage. "You know, I'd have thought you'd just _fly_ your way to wherever you darn want," the officer stated very coldly. Again looking from under his black hat, the man gazed the roadrunner down, giving him a very uncomfortable chill in his feathers. Like Ace before, Rev couldn't figure out why this person, who'd they barely knew, had shown so much hostility toward the Loonatics. He couldn't act like this to everyone, could he?

"That's an excellent idea Acregh," cut in Mr. Precudor, apparently done with the reporters. "Mr. Roadrunner, you have my full permission to travel the skies of our planet. Senor Rodriguez knows this planet like few others do, he'd be an excellent guide to wherever you wish", proclaimed the energetic mayor. Hearing this made Rev start bouncing a bit on his feet, smiling as large as his beak would allow.

Sneering, Acregh just continued on his way. He didn't even take a backward glance, just trotted into the large crowd out of sight.

"Hey doc," called Ace suddenly from the stage to Mr. Precudor, "I had a question 'bout them fancy cameras. Know where ya can get one?" Waving farewell to Rev and Rodriguez, the mayor walked over to the rabbit, leaving the two free to leave.

Setting Rodriguez gently on his head, Rev prepared to launch into the sky traffic above. "If you fly high enough," explained Rodriguez as he sat down for flight, "you'll be able to soar above the planet without any vehicles to get in the way".

_Wow-is-this-ever-exciting! I-can't-wait-to-get-into-the-skies-and-really-see-this-planet,-man,-is-this-gonna-be-awesome!_ Rev thought eagerly, still bouncing a bit on his feet. He planted himself firmly on the grassy ground away from the stage, enough to give himself some distance for takeoff. Looking into the skies far above, he found a gap between the flying traffic. _Perfect._

Wings extended. Rodriguez holding tightly on. Red eyes facing straight above. Focusing on flying high into the atmosphere. _3.…2.…1.…_

Launch!

In mere seconds, the fiery wings had propelled the duo off the ground and soaring through the skies. Wind roared past Rev's face as they traveled past the lines of levitating vehicles, filled with countless vehicles that sped through the atmospheric highway. Climbing higher and faster, the two soon reached beyond any other object in the sky, leaving open space for them to safely travel.

Rev instantly slowed down so that he was floating calmly in the sky. Taking a good look around was simply breathtaking. From high above they could see a never ending abundance of city blocks heading to one edge of the planet. In another direction began rows and rows of agricultural fields. Layers of vegetation, one above the other, made numerous designs of very bizarre growing regions. Still more land stretched past the misty edge of the planet, farther than Rev's glowing eyes could see.

"Eh, in that a direction Roadrunner," came Rodriguez's voice, breaking him out of his gaze. "Oh-sorry," apologized Rev, heading in the indicated direction, "But-the-size-of-this-planet,-uh-I-mean-Schlusa-uh-Shinzli-eh-Tzleson-a-well-you-know-what-I-mean,-is-just-really-incredible-but-I-guess-you-already-knew-that-cause-you're-the-one-giving-directions-so-you-probably-don't-need-to-be-told-again".

Easily resting on Rev, the small mouse slowly responded as the wind whipped past the airborne individuals. "Oh yes, I've seen quite a lot of this planet. Me and my cousin work all over the galaxy, but always stop in to visit".

"So,-if-you-don't-mind-me-asking,-just-who-is-this-cousin-of-yours-that-we're-going-to-see?" Rev asked, really hoping to have his question answered. With the time they had to travel through the sky, it seemed like a great time for conversation.

"Well, my cousin is known as the fastest mouse in all of the universe," explained Rodriguez, "and appropriately so. He's broken every recorded relay record, holds the fastest time in the most renowned races, and has yet to be matched by any living or mechanical competitor".

"Really?" asked Rev curiously, "well-I'll-be-I-mean-that's-pretty-amazing-that-in-all-the-universe-which-has-trillions-of-organisms-that-the-fastest-of-the-fastest-is-here-today-which-would-make-sense-since-this-is-a-festival-for-the-whole-universe-and-say-do-they-also-have-the-universe's-tallest-being-or-maybe-the-oldest-or-something-like-that?"

Rodriguez just stared back at Rev, apparently not sure if he was being serious or not. "I don't know about that, but my cousin has become a universal celebrity because of his speed. He's also an expert in aerodynamics, which helps him to design vehicles for planets that can travel faster and more effectively. He's quite smart, you know".

Rev, still sailing quickly through the air, accelerated a bit upon hearing more about this cousin. _Well I'm sure he's plenty quick and smart, probably not quite as much as me, _Rev thought to himself, _but hey, if he's a universal celebrity then who knows, maybe he comes pretty close._ The usually humble roadrunner was beginning to feel a little competitive.

Not sensing his attitude, Rodriguez kept talking as they passed more skyscrapers. "I work with my cousin in building vehicles. Being small has it's advantages".

Trying not to be rude, Rev decided to remain modest while the two continued their flight across Schlesinger. "So-what's-your-cousin's-name-Mr.-Rodriguez?"

The small mouse chuckled a bit. "Well, his full name is Salvador Pedro Emanuel Estaban Dominic Yemen Gonzalez, but everyone knows him as…"

But suddenly there was no need for Rodriguez to continue explaining. A large flashing billboard was floating in the sky high above the ground nearby. It wasn't as high as Rev was soaring, but still enough for the two to see, and hear, clearly. Projecting images like a giant television, it immediately caught Rev's attention.

**Presenting, the speed demon of the galaxy.**

**The fastest mouse in all the universe…**

**---SOARING GONZALEZ---**

**In the most daring spectacle of recorded history, Speedy plans to brave the **_**Asced Pregbi **_**trail, the rarest natural formation of wormholes known to astronomers. Created from the combined connections of numerous space bridges, the trail creates a lengthy and narrow race track, solid only for mere seconds. As each wormhole opens to reveal each section of the trail, Soaring Gonzalez will travel through the lengths of the universe, from galaxy to galaxy**

**Attempting to accomplish a feat only dreamed of by others, Soaring Gonzalez will prove once and for all just who is the fastest in all the universe.**

Upon seeing the billboard, Rev became really intrigued. After passing the floating screen, a sly little smile came to his face. Continuing to fly ahead, Rev turned to Rodriguez

"So-what-exactly-is-the-deal-with-this-Acid-Praybee-trail-or-sorry-however-it's-pronounced-I-mean-I've-traveled-through-wormholes-before-well-OK-once-and-it-was-actually-just-today-but-I-know-that-its-a-way-to-travel-through-regions-of-the-universe-like-there-was-a-jailbreak-once-where-a-wormhole-was-used-to-transport-the-villians-to-a-distant-astroid-made-with-this-really-cool-wrist-device-then-there-was-this-guitar-me-and-Tech-made-that-created-a-wormhole-oh-and-of-course-there's-the-generator-on-Blanc-cause-it's-the-center-of-the-universe…", ranted Rev, quickly losing his train of thought, again.

"It's really simple", explained Rodriguez. "Wormholes CAN be generated, but they also appear naturally in space, like a storm does on a planet. And sometimes, when two wormholes appear at the same time, they create a solid bridge between each other that stays solid as long as the wormholes stay open. Once every 2500 years, the right wormholes open in the correct order to create a series of temporary space bridges that circles the entire universe. If someone was fast enough, they could actually run across the bridges, from wormhole to wormhole, all the way around the universe".

"And-so-this-'Soaring-Gonzalez'-is-fast-enough-to-safely-travel-the-entire…uh", stuttered Rev, trying to pronounce the name right this time.

"Asced Pregbi trail," corrected Rodriguez, "and yes, he probably is. In fact, the whole reason that the festival is being held today is because today's the day that the trail will appear. And it won't reappear for anothe…".

_Wow, that's really gotta be something to see_, thought Rev excitedly to himself, _I mean that's a really dangerous trail to run. If he doesn't make it across any one of the bridges fast enough, it'll disappear under his feet and he'll probably get hurt or lost in space. And that's a long way to run too, around the entire galaxy, wow, that's a RE-HE-EALLY long track to run._

"…hundreds of cameras near the points where the wormholes will appear, so the relay will be televised across the universe", continued Rodriguez, who was still explaining while Rev was thinking. "And since this is such a legendary event, every planet is scheduled to broadcast it live".

By this point Rev was becoming almost too wound up in exhilaration to keep his wings straight, let alone fly in the proper direction. To his relief though, Rodriguez began indicating to the ground below, meaning that they had made it to the right part of the planet. Had Rev looked down at the ground below, he would have known right away that they were in the right place.

Thousands of people were gathered around a mile wide oval race track, cheering and applauding along the railing surrounding the track. Even hovering miles above the ground, Rev could see the dust rising from the track, trailing behind a single point that was careening around the track. Lap after lap ran the small object, picking up speed with each revolution and making themselves impossible to see through the rising dust.

Nearing the large crowd around the track, Rev slowed down and prepared to land. Sensing the distance between him and the ground, the roadrunner aimed for the inside of the track, trying to avoid running into anyone below. As he lowered himself to the ground, there came a low murmur from the people below, looking up at the Loonatic in the sky above.

"Do you see that?" "What is that, some kind of aircraft?" "No wait! I've seen that before". "Isn't that the superhero from Blanc?" "One of them, I think there's a group of them". "Yeah, I remember. Um…the Loon and Ticks, right?" "That must be the Loon then". "No, it's not a loon. It's what they call a roadrunner". "But he's flying, shouldn't it be called an air flyer?" "Wonder what he's doing here".

Noticing that his presence was blatantly apparent, Rev felt a little uneasy as the eyes of the surrounding crowd looked at him. _Maybe a fiery-winged entrance wasn't the best way to arrive_, thought Rev sheepishly. _Perhaps we should have just taken the limo instead_.

"Arriba! Arriba!" came a shout from the race track. Rev could hear, amidst the murmurs of the crowd, a loud and energetic chanting from the source of the dust cloud. Accompanying the quick paced runner on the track, Rev could tell it belonged to a fellow speed demon.

_A fellow speed demon…_

"Uh, Senor Roadrunner, what are you doing?" asked Rodriguez, still sitting on top of Rev's head.

But Rev wasn't listening. Instead of landing softly on the ground, the red avian began flying to the ground at an accelerated rate. Quickly setting Rodriguez on the ground, Rev aimed for the source of the dust trail inside the track.

Once elevated close enough to the track ground, Rev immediately began running on the ground as the fire from his wings ceased burning. Going quickly from flying to running, Rev began picking up speed as he circled the race track, becoming engulfed in the cloud of rising dust. Upon doing so, he himself began to build a trail of dust behind him, adding to the already present dust and surrounding the whole air in a hazy cloud of soil.

Gathering more speed, Rev's GPS noticed a small creature running in the lane right next to him, keeping up the same speed so that they were racing right next to each other. He couldn't see through the dirt fog to actually glimpse them, but the sound of dashing feet told him that the two were rushing at the same rapid speed. And while Rev tried to gain a bit of ground ahead, he could sense his competition trying to do the same.

It was a strange experience for Rev, making him a little annoyed. Ever since the meteor gave him his powers, he'd always been able to outrun anything or anyone. But now his enhanced speed wasn't naturally carrying him past his opponent. Instead, the two were locked in a battle to pass the other, both matching the other's quickness and trying hard to get ahead. The two continued to circle the race track in faster laps, frantically failing to beat their opponent.

A few more laps of this caused a whirlwind to build around the spectators, blowing around hats, maps, and even causing some people to fall over.

_Whoops_, thought Rev, _better slow it down. Don't wanna cause anyone to get hurt._

The avian, used to having a solid ground to ease his stops, dug his feet into the ground to slow down. Skidding on the dirty race track ground, Rev slid to a screeching halt. But next to him, he suddenly found his small opposition running rapid circles around the roadrunner. Soon all the dust in the air was circling around Rev, making him cough as he was forced to eat the dust of the fellow speed demon.

Fortunately for Rev though, the runner decided to cease and came to a quick stop right in front of the now dust covered bird. With the running finally ended, Rev could now get a good look at the opponent in front of him, the one he'd been hoping to meet.

Standing proudly amidst the setting dust stood a foot tall mouse, dressed in a slick white and red racing outfit, like the ones Rev had seen race car drivers wear back on Acmetropolis. His paws were fitted with a pair of white leather gloves, while his large feet were bare on the track ground. What really caught Rev's attention was a large yellow sombrero seated on his head, supporting a small visor in front of his eyes like a windshield.

"Well-well-well", said the mouse very excitedly, "I-do-believe-that-this-is-the-famous-Rev-Runner". He pressed a button that caused his visor to extract into the sombrero, then lifted it off his head in a sweeping bow to the Acmetropolis hero. "It-is-a-great-honor-to-finally-meet-the-most-impressive-roadrunner-that-I-have-ever-heard-of".

Though still dusting off the dirt from his uniform, Rev felt kind of flattered. "Well-thank-you-Mr.-Gonzalez-and-I-apologize-for-interrupting-anything-I-just-came-here-with-your-cousin-Jose-"Dawdle"-Rodriguez-and-he-said-you-were-a-really-fast-runner-which-I-can-clearly-tell-that-you-are-cause-you-almost-beat-me-there-on-that-race-track-and-if-I-may-say-so-I'm-a-pretty-quick-runner-myself".

"Oh absolutely", responded Gonzalez. His speech was just as rapid as Rev's, but sounded a bit more thought out and less rambling. He also spoke with an accented dialect, revealing a cultured voice that sounded like Spanish to Rev.

"I-was-just-warming-up-a-bit-for-the-big-relay-later-today", he continued, "it's-nice-to-have-a-little-competition-beforehand-to-exercise-the-legs. How-fast-can-you-run, Senor-Roadrunner?"

"Well-I've-been-known-to-reach-speeds-up-to-9887.9-miles-per-hour-of-course-that's-just-for-a-starting-speed-I've-probably-gone-even-faster-than-that", bragged Rev. Secretly he wasn't sure if he could go faster than his record speed, but his competitiveness was making him act a little arrogant.

Gonzalez looked Rev up and down, analyzing the Loonatic in front of him. "You-know, your-outfit-is-pretty-useful-for-running-very-quickly". His gaze then shifted to Rev's wrist, where his communicator was fastened to his arm. "Except-for-that-device-on-your-wrist. It-seems-to-be-heavier-than-your-other-sleeve. I-think-you'd-be-able-to-run-faster-if-you-had-a-balanced-design, don't-you?"

Rev looked at the useful communication device on his arm. Noticing the weight of the device, he realized that it was indeed a few grams heavier than his other arm. But he wasn't sure if it was really slowing him down a bit, or if Gonzalez was just trying to mess with his thinking.

"Hmmm-you-may-be-right-I-mean-you-are-an-expert-in-aerodynamics-after-all-but-then-again-I've-never-had-a-problem-going-really-really-fast-and-trust-me-you-could-ask-any-villian-back-on-Acmetropolis-or-any-person-for-that-matter-and-they'll-tell-you-that-there's-no-faster-bird-then-yours-truly", Rev responded. He was trying not to sound too boastful, even though Gonzalez seemed to be somewhat defensive himself.

"Oh-don't-worry-Senor-Roadrunner. I've-heard-how-well-you-and-your-team-did-back-on-your-home-planet", said Gonzalez. The surrounding audience was now really caught up in this conversation of speed demons, even if some of them had trouble keeping up with the fast pace.

"It-has-been-a-pleasure-to-meet-you-Senor-Roadrunner. We'll-have-to-continue-this-little-competition-some-other-time", stated Gonzalez, "after-all, the-Asced-Pregbi-trail-waits-for-no-mouse".

"Well-sure-I-mean-that's-why-everyone's-here-today-and-I-wouldn't-want-to-keep-you-waiting-or-anything-like-that", responded Rev casually while Gonzalez prepared to leave. But Rev then lightly cleared his throat.

"That-is-unless-I-happen-to-see-you-at-the-end-of-the-trail-before-you-get-there".

There was a sudden simultaneous gasp amongst the surrounding crowd, so loud that it made Rev turn his head to look at the surprised crowd. There was shock on everyone's face, staring right back at the young roadrunner. It gave him a feeling of both amazement and concern.

He then looked back at Soaring Gonzalez. Rather than looking shocked though, the little mouse had his arms crossed over his chest, and a casual look on his face. His look was aimed, deadlock, straight at Rev

"Are-you-suggesting-that-YOU-could-get-to-the-end-of-the-trail-faster-than-ME?" asked Gonzalez, sounding much more intrigued then upset.

"Well, maybe", Rev responded, slowly but assertively.

More whispers from the audience. "Is-he-actually-_challenging_-Soaring-Gonzalez?" "Well of course! Did you see those two tear up the race track?!" "My money's on Gonzalez". "I don't know, I've heard tell that bird is mighty fast".

Gonzalez smirked back at Rev, crossing his arms firmly over his outfit. "What-do-you-say-we-find-out".

Rev eagerly nodded. "We-both-race-along-the-trail…

…across-the-universe, from-beginning-to-end…"

… and-see-who-makes-it-to-the-end-first".

Bending down to Gonzalez's height, Rev extended a wing to his now race competitor. Gonzalez responded with his own paw, making for a very enthusiastic hand shake.

"May-the-best-win! Arriba!" shouted Gonzalez, throwing his sombrero into the air in excitement. Rev replied with a shout of exhilaration, as the on looking audience cheered on the two racers.

The relay of a lifetime had just become the race of history.

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Again, apologies for the failure to update in a timely fashion. Trust me, I don't like the guilty feeling anymore than anyone else likes the irritation of having to wait. Writing is fun, but it also takes a lot of mental effort to focus, especially if you don't want to ruin the story by rushing it. Hopefully this strain will cease to become a problem.

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_-- BREAKING NEWS -- Copyright update_: Following the recent monorail accident at Disneyworld, The Walt Disney Company has decided to forget about their diabolic cartoon takeover to focus on these more pressing matters. I guess a defunct transportation system to a multi-billion dollar theme park is pretty essential priority. So once again, Loonatics Unleashed is owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Good news for us, not so much for whoever was driving that monorail.

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By the way, it would make my job a lot easier if you'd please leave a review. I've held up my end of the writing bargain. Your turn.


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